Astragalus zionis

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Astragalus zionis
Astragalus zionis Parus 2016 04 03 Flower 900.jpg
Zion Milkvetch bloom, Zion Canyon
Status TNC G4.svg
Apparently Secure  (NatureServe) [1]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Genus: Astragalus
Species:
A. zionis
Binomial name
Astragalus zionis
Varieties [2]
  • Astragalus zioni var. vigulus S.L.Welsh
  • Astragalus zionis var. zionis
Synonyms [2]
  • Xylophacos zionis(M.E.Jones) Rydb.

Astragalus zionis is a species of legume known by the common name Zion milkvetch. It is one of the earliest flowers to bloom in Zion canyon. [3] First described by botanist Marcus E. Jones in 1895, the species has also been placed in the defunct genus Xylophacos under the name Xylophacos zionis. [2] The variety Astragalus zionis var. vigulus, the guard milkvetch, was described by Stanley Welsh in 1993. [4]

Contents

Description

Zion milkvetch bloom Astragalus zionis Parus 2016 04 03 Triple 1000.jpg
Zion milkvetch bloom

The plant's flowers are purple and its foliage is silvery. The pods are rather hairy, somewhat inflated, ovate, usually mottled, and grow up to one inch long. [3]

Distribution, habitat, and conservation

The range of Astragalus zionis extends from Zion National Park across southern Utah through Glen Canyon to San Juan County, at altitudes of 970 to 2200 meters. [5] It is found on rocky slopes throughout Zion canyon. [3]

Astragalus zionis var. vigulus is considered a Critically Imperiled Plant by the United States Forestry Service and a Critically Imperiled Variety by NatureServe, but is not listed under the Endangered Species Act. [6] [7]

Related Research Articles

<i>Astragalus canadensis</i> Species of legume

Astragalus canadensis is a common and widespread member of the milkvetch genus in the legume family, known commonly as Canadian milkvetch. The plant is found throughout Canada and the United States in many habitats including wetlands, woodlands, and prairies.

<i>Astragalus lentiginosus</i> Species of flowering plant in the milkvetch genus

Astragalus lentiginosus Astragalus lentiginosus is a species of legume native to western North America where it grows in a range of habitats. Common names include spotted locoweed and freckled milkvetch. There are a great number of wild varieties. The flower and the fruit of an individual plant are generally needed to identify the specific variety.

Astragalus anxius is a rare species of milkvetch known by the common names troubled milkvetch and Ash Valley milkvetch. It is endemic to northern Lassen County, California, where it is critically imperiled. It was formally described in 1992.

<i>Astragalus kentrophyta</i> Species of flowering plant in the milkvetch genus

Astragalus kentrophyta is a species of milkvetch known by the common name spiny milkvetch. It is native to western North America from central to west Canada, to California, to New Mexico. It grows in rocky mountainous areas, such as the Sierra Nevada, and on plateaus.

<i>Astragalus oophorus</i> Species of legume

Astragalus oophorus is a species of milkvetch known by the common name egg milkvetch. It is native to the western United States, mainly California and Nevada, though one variety can be found as far east as Colorado. It is a plant of sagebrush and other dry habitat.

<i>Astragalus purshii</i> Species of legume

Astragalus purshii is a species of milkvetch known by the common names woollypod milkvetch and Pursh's milkvetch.

<i>Astragalus scaphoides</i> Species of legume

Astragalus scaphoides, the bitterroot milkvetch, is a flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, the third-largest plant family in the world. It is found only in a small area of southwest Montana and adjacent parts of Idaho. It grows on shallow, south-facing slopes, in semi-arid sage scrub.

<i>Astragalus cremnophylax</i> Species of legume

Astragalus cremnophylax is a rare species of milkvetch known by the common names sentry milkvetch and cliff milkvetch. It is endemic to Arizona, where the three varieties grow in three separate locations. The rarest variety, var. cremnophylax, is a federally listed endangered species which grows only on the rim of the Grand Canyon. The two other varieties are known from the Buckskin Mountains and Marble Canyon.

<i>Astragalus desereticus</i> Species of legume

Astragalus desereticus is a rare species of milkvetch known by the common name Deseret milkvetch. It is endemic to Utah County, Utah, where it is known from only one population. It was thought to be extinct until 1981 when this population was discovered. The population contains 5,000 to 10,000 plants on an area of land covering less than 300 acres. It is vulnerable to damage from grazing cattle, which eat the plant and trample the soil, and from development and erosion. This is a federally listed threatened species.

<i>Aquilegia micrantha <span style="font-style:normal;">var.</span> grahamii</i> Variety of flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae

Aquilegia micrantha var. grahamii, common name Graham's columbine, is a variety of perennial flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, endemic to Utah in the United States.

<i>Astragalus molybdenus</i> Species of flowering plant in the pea family

Astragalus molybdenus is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common names Leadville milkvetch and molybdenum milkvetch. It is endemic to Colorado in the United States. If the separate species Astragalus shultziorum and Astragalus lackschewitzii are included in A. molybdenum the range expands into Wyoming and Montana.

Astragalus wetherillii is a species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common name Wetherill's milkvetch. It is native to Colorado and Utah in the United States.

<i>Astragalus amphioxys</i> Species of milkvetch

Astragalus amphioxys, common name crescent milkvetch, is a plant found in the American southwest, including the whole of Utah, the southeast part of Nevada, the north part of Arizona, the western part of Colorado, the northwestern part of New Mexico, and one county in Texas. It was first described by Asa Gray in 1878.

Camissonia bairdii is a plant species endemic to Washington County, Utah. It occurs in clay soil in pinyon-juniper woodlands. The species is classified as critically imperiled.

Eriogonum zionis, common name Zion wild buckwheat or Point Sublime wild buckwheat, is a plant species native to the southwestern United States, the states of Utah and Arizona. It grows on sandy or gravelly soil at elevations of 1300–2300 m.

<i>Astragalus hallii</i> Species of flowering plant in the milkvetch genus

Astragalus hallii is a species of milkvetch in the family Fabaceae. It is native to Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico.

<i>Astragalus cibarius</i> Species of legume

Astragalus cibarius, commonly called the browse milkvetch, is a species of plant in the legume family.

<i>Astragalus racemosus</i> Species of plant in the family Fabaceae

Astragalus racemosus, the cream milkvetch, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. It is native to central North America. A selenium hyperaccumulator, it is considered capable of poisoning livestock as one of the locoweeds.

<i>Astragalus miser</i> Species of plant

Astragalus miser, the timber milkvetch, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. A perennial, it is native to western North America, except California. One of the locoweeds toxic to livestock, it contains miserotoxin.

Aquilegia atwoodii, commonly known as Atwood's columbine, is a perennial flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae, endemic to Utah.

References

  1. NatureServe (1 November 2024). "Astragalus zionis". NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 "Astragalus zionisM.E.Jones". Plants of the World Online . Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 Nelson, Ruth Ashton (1976). Plants of Zion National Park. Springdale, Utah, USA: Zion Natural History Association. pp.  152. ISBN   0-915630-01-X.
  4. Welsh, Stanley (1993). "New taxa and new nomenclatural combinations in the Utah flora". Rhodora. 95 (883): 404. JSTOR   23312993 via JSTOR.
  5. Albee, Beverly J.; Leila M. Sjultz; Sherel Goodrich (1988). Atlas of the Vascular Plants of Utah. Salt Lake City, Utah, USA: The Utah Museum of Natural History. p. 293. ISBN   0-940378-09-4.
  6. "Astragalus zionis var. vigulus, guard milkvetch". U.S. Forest Service. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  7. NatureServe (1 November 2024). "Astragalus zionis var. vigulus". NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 10 November 2024.